There is a myth that playing multiple sports always makes a better tennis player and reduces injuries. Many researchers and medical experts generally recommend young children play multiple sports to prevent injuries and build a better athlete.
However, tennis is an early specialization sport that is highly technical. It’s important that your children play a lot of tennis and receive professional training if they want to be great someday.
The greatest champs generally start super young. Players who start late and play lots of sports will usually become good—but not great.
Experts talk about multiple sports, but most champions played a lot of tennis and tennis was the priority when they were little! In addition, playing multiple sports can help make a better athlete and prevent injury—or the opposite can happen.
Some sports complement tennis very well, and others do not. This is rarely discussed. Also, some sports can cause injuries that take players out of the game. For example, basketball is great until your kid gets shoved and breaks his wrist. Martial arts are great but you need to be careful to avoid an injury.
A kid is more likely to get injured playing a sport they don’t know the mechanics of very well. That’s not often discussed or is dismissed. I would never recommend my students to ski, for example, unless they have a high skill level in skiing and can be trusted to be safe on the slopes.
Playing other sports can create imbalances and don’t guarantee complete athlete development. For example, if your kid is playing a lot of tennis and cross-training for swimming, that can be great. However, if their child is swimming a lot in freestyle, that could potentially overload the shoulder and lead to injury.
Folks need to choose their cross training sports wisely and not just assume all sports equal better athlete and tennis player. For example, soccer is a great sport to complement tennis, but it rarely works any overhead arm movements. Kids who play a lot of soccer may not develop the overhead power they need to serve well. This is a common phenomenon in Spain for example.
Too often parents and coaches believe the experts when they say that multiple sports always equals a good outcome. Choose your complementary sports wisely and understand how they will affect your athlete’s physical and athletic development.
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